Welcome to David Mundy's nearly-daily blog. David is now retired after 37 years as a United Church minister and has kept a journal for more than 30 years. This blog is more public but contains his personal musings and reflections on the world, through the lens of his Christian faith. Follow his Creation Blog, Groundling (groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca) and Mini Me blog (aka Twitter) @lionlambstp

Monday, December 03, 2007

Bali and the Future of the Planet

The stakes couldn't be higher. The future of the planet itself is at the heart of the negotiations that begin today in Bali, where 191 countries will try to reach a deal on how to fight global warming.Warnings of a looming worldwide disaster have added urgency to the talks. "I believe we are on the verge of a catastrophe if we do not act," United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said in advance of the Bali conference.These words were written by Geoffrey York in today's edition of the Globe and Mail newspaper. Representatives from countries around the world will gather in Bal, Indonesia, i for the next two weeks to discuss the fate of the planet under the auspices of the United Nations.Prime Minister Harper will be there and I hope he will wake up. At the recent Commonwealth Conference he demonstrated a depressing resistance to any sort of agreement which would require real change to the way we treat the planet. Harper insisted that he was the courageous leader, refusing to agree to anything other than "aspirational targets."

Canada, the United States, and Saudi Arabia were all given "Fossil" awards by an environmental organization for their refusal to sign on to any accords to reduce carbon emmissions.

We need our government to provide real leadership at home and abroad. We need Mr. Harper and Mr. Baird to wake up to the examples of other industrialized nations which are developing strategies and practices which will allow their economies to flourish and to protect the environment.Please pray for a change in heart for our leaders during this conference. As Geoffrey York says, the future of the planet depends upon it.